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Orders of Kin
See also Honourable Households in the United Commonwealth. Orders of Kin '''are a family of Honorable Orders in the United Commonwealth. They differ from the majority of honours in the system in that their issue is almost entirely separate from the monarch beyond the requirement for their nominal confirmation of appointments. Membership of an Order of Kin is a defining aspect of belonging to the aristocratic class. Orders of Kin are create, alongside Chartered Companies. When the assets of a household are incorporated under letters patent, the Order for that Household is created at the same time, with the '''Director-General of that company then being appointed as the Head of the Order. Households which possess an Order of Kin are referred to as Honourable Households. All Orders of Kin are identically structured and officially equal to one-another in-terms of prestige. Composition 'Members' All members of an Order of Kin are granted by the Head of the Order and nominally confirmed by the monarch. The Head of the Order is an ex officio position that is held by the Director-General of the Chartered Company associated with the House. There are no limits imposed on the number of members of an Order of Kin however, as they confer seniority, limits are often self-imposed. The majority of members of an Order of Kin hold some position of authority or significance within the Chartered Company; the other members of the Court of Directors for example, have always held the grade of Captain. Officers and Companions will comprise the majority of an Order of Kin's membership. It is uncommon for individuals outside of the Chartered Company, or the immediate family of the most powerful members, to be given issue. However, sometimes distant relations are issued in recognition of some notable service. In rare instances, individuals entirely unrelated to the House have been issued lower grades. 'Grades' There are four grades of appointment within Orders of Kin, they are in order of precedence: Master, Captain, Officer, and Companion. Remit Orders of Kin have only two mandatory clauses within the letters patent that create them. These are: #That the Director-General of the associated Chartered Company is, ex officio, the Head of the Order. #That the Order is allowed three membership positions in the Commonwealth Executive Counsel. The rest of the governance of the Order is largely determined by the Order. Typically, this amounts to little beyond additional courtesies and privileges afforded to higher grades in the Order by their subordinates. Styles The Head of the Order is afforded the title of Lord followed by the name of the Household as-well as the honorific The Excellent. This title takes preeminence over all others that can be issued in the United Commonwealth; in-instances where the Lord also possesses a hereditary title (which would formally be of a higher precedence), the titles are rendered as Lord -Aftname- of -Place-'''. The grades of Master, Captain, and Officer are also afforded the title of Lord before thier forenames. Additionally, the grades Master, and Captain possess the honorific '''The Honourable. The grade of Master is afforded the post-nominal letters MK, Captains afforded CK, and Officers afforded OK. Category:United Commonwealth Category:Aristocracy Category:Honorable Orders